Deceptions of a Fallen Pride
by KuroNightroad
Summary: Selfless Mask of Pride Rewritten. An enigma, an outcast. A monster in human skin. An individual with the most secrets to hide behind her sweet smiles... When Kaien welcomes the enrollment of an old friend to Cross Academy, all hell breaks loose in the form of an enraged Zero. "Why is SHE coming here?" Rated M for later (nonexistent at the moment) chapters.
1. Foreshadowing Omens

Warnings: OCs, and Angst (Somewhat).

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**Author's Note:**

For the Readers who read the older version called "Selfless Mask of Pride", in the case that you can still remember what had happened in the story, it would be better to read this new version with a completely new mindset because there are a lot of changes to how the plot would progress in future.

For New Readers, this is an OC FAN-FICTION. If you're not a fan of OC fan-fictions, get out immediately. I do not want any OC flaming in the reviews.

Otherwise, I hope this new revamped version would be a pleasant read for everyone.

…And yes, I believe OCs need a warning label of their own—since there's this serious OC-Pet-Peeve going around more so than before. I can understand why, though I don't really care—I like writing OCs in preset stories to see how things can go about instead of the original storyline so… Yeah, I'll stop my rambling now.

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Vampire Knight © Matsuri Hino

Fan-Fiction Plot and Original Characters © Kuro Nightroad/ Me

**Deceptions of a Fallen Pride**

**A Vampire Knight Fan-Fiction**

**Chapter One:**

"**Foreshadowing Omens"**

* * *

_Summer._

_The Sun scorched with a scalding touch._

_Cicadas hummed to a deafening tune._

_Light reached through the thick layers of leaves above, casting spots of gold onto her form. She dared a subtle peek, a pale hand to her eyes adjusting to the piercing brightness. A vague wonder of how long she had napped idled in her mind, though she could care less to actually find out._

_She stared off blankly into thin air for a brief moment, eventually opting to pull out her cellphone to check the time, and was greeted with a number of missed calls displayed on the home screen. A bead of sweat formed as she recognized the phone number as well as the time._

_Dear lord, she was _so_ in trouble... even though she initially had every intention to skip out on assisting her guardian with his mentoring back at the log house._

_And having snuck off when the opportunity arose... She had no doubt the older man was probably—most assuredly, and positively—livid when he realized that she was not around to help when he needed it._

_Whilst debating on whether she ought to return the call, her screen of her cellphone lit up once again, buzzing incessantly._

"_... ... ..."_

Sigh.

_Reluctantly, she flipped it open, picking up the incoming call._

"_OI RIEL, WHERE THE H—"_

**_Clack!_**

_The loud, bellowing voice was cut off abruptly before they could finish their yelling over the receiver._

_She felt another bead of sweat forming, both hands grasping her cellphone shut as though the yelling would continue on relentlessly if she does so much as slacken her firm grip. She wasn't keen on getting a dreadful lecture from her guardian when she could hang up on him now and cook up a feasible excuse (or plan for her quickest escape route in the situation should her guardian decide to target practice on her with his handy firearms) before returning to the log house later._

_She found herself breathing again, having realized that she had been holding it unknowingly when she had answered her cellphone. She slipped her cellphone back into her pocket._

_With one leg hanging off the branch she was perched comfortably on, she tilted her head back against the bark of the tree. Amber eyes slowly closed and her conscious slowly slipped... Perhaps snoozing for another good hour would not hurt._

**_BAM!_**

_..._Huh?

_Beating wings fled to the skies in flocks, the sound reverberating through the forest._

_She straightened up, peeking open an eye. The gunshot was not far off from where she was hiding out, and she sincerely hoped it was not a certain tawny-haired pessimistic trainee that came to the log house not too long ago._

_It wasn't that she had anything against that arrogant sourpuss at first. The boy had initially taken one look at her and scoffed, before proceeding to ignore her existence—to which she didn't care two hoots about and was rather content with such (socializing hadn't been her best trait for a reason after all)._

_It wasn't until several days later the said sourpuss had lost to her in a training challenge set by her guardian, and that single loss—without a doubt—did not sit too well with the boy and led him to constantly compete with her on every assignment and chore they were made to do thereafter._

_It also did nothing to help her predicament when the boy wears a permanent scowl or glare around her and _always_ had a bone to pick with her over the pettiest things—one would think she had murdered his pet dog or something to warrant such hostility._

_She grimaced at the oncoming headache, remembering the none too pleasant fact that her guardian even encouraged the one-sided rivalry between the two of them._

_She sighed, a hand to her forehead rubbing in circles to try and soothe the dull throbbing as she diverted her attention back to the bushes beneath her._

_..._Come to think of it, what was that boy's name again?

_She furrowed her eyebrows at the sudden thought, digging her mind for a name. She came up with nothing._

_Nothing. Nada. Zilch._

_She heaved another sigh (how many times had she sighed already, she had to wonder), resigned to the dreaded fact that her memory power definitely had issues when she was still drowsy._

Know what, never mind.

_She really didn't feel the need to remember his name at the moment, withdrawing her suspended leg from the edge, and concealing her presence as she leant over slightly—trying to get little to what was a glimpse of the shrubs on the ground without falling off. She perked, watching and listening to the rustling of the leaves._

_There was a soft sigh, and a head of silver emerged from the bushes—_Oh, it was one of the trainee twins. The older one.

Thank God_—she thought._

_She hadn't slightest clue as to what she would have done if had been the tawny-haired boy._

Probably something stupid—_she offered sarcastically to herself while rolling her eyes—_one that might result in me falling out of the tree and to my gruesome demise.

_Scratch that, the tree she had climbed was barely even three stories high. There's no way she'd die falling from that height. Maybe if she landed on her head, then there might be a chance. She shook her head, stopping herself. Now was not the time to be morbid and thinking of one-thousand-and-one ways to die._

_She watched the boy in curiosity, her chin rested on a palm._

_The boy seemed resigned yet relieved somehow, and it seemed like he'd probably have to go without dinner later that night (her nose hadn't picked up the scent of blood that should have been in the air if his previous shot had flown true). His entire body then tensed, having seemed to have sensed something and tilted his head—eyes widening in recognition as innocent amethyst met solemn amber._

Wow—_she mused, inwardly applauding the boy's sharp senses._

_Not to be a complete braggart, but she was the best when it came to hiding her presence from detection and she was damn well proud of it. There was hardly anyone she knew who could find her without much difficulty once she hides herself, and the boy staring up at her from the ground was the first to have detected her hidden presence so effortlessly._

_The corners of her mouth twitched into a small smile. Her guardian hadn't been exaggerating when he said the boy's acute senses—if refined with the proper guidance—can become his greatest asset as a Hunter. Though that being said, she felt a sudden and strange feeling nagging at her to notice that there was something wrong with the boy. What, she didn't know._

_Looking the boy over critically just to satisfy the curiosity, what she hadn't realized before struck her hard when her eyes landed on the trembling hand clasped tightly around the handle of a warm gun. She blinked, unsure if she ought to be surprised. Amber clashed with amethyst again, and her eyes softened at the slight tinge of pink to the boy's cheeks._

_Brushing her short sanguine locks behind an ear, her lips moved to speak to the boy..._

Riel scrunched her face with a grimace, waking to incessant barking and a wet tongue lapping at her face. She raised a hand, ready to grab the perpetrator disturbing her slumber. Her fingers made contact with soft fur before they slipped away in alarm and the incessant barking resumed. She chuckled, wiping at her face with the sheets covering her body before flipping onto her side.

"Yes, yes. Good morning to you too, Ruri. You little rascal." Riel mumbled into her pillow. She heard a final bark, almost tempted to roll her eyes at the tinge of satisfaction it held. She let out a groggy yawn, her eyes of golden yellow still heavy with sleep, but her mind was strangely more awake than she could ever remember.

Lifting her head from the pillow, she blinked at the slightest hint of morning rays streaming in through the white curtains. The scenes of greenery outside her private room of the overnight train she had boarded the day before, had changed to scenes of white—an indication that she was nearing her destination soon.

She continued to watch the sceneries go by until Ruri—the enthusiastic crimson-eyed pup with odd patterns of black on her pure white fur—decided that she had enough of her master lazing in bed and pounced. Riel felt herself sink further into the bed at the sudden weight on top of her. She looked up and glanced over her shoulder with a pout.

"Oh shucks, Ruri... cut me some slack here. I had been working my butt off for the past few weeks, and the least you can do now is quit being spartan about what time I wake up."

Ruri wrinkled her nose, a stern twinkle in her beady eyes as she firmly barked again. Riel stuck her lower lip out even more, apparently she knew what that bark (with a hint of warning) meant.

"Wake up. _NOW_."—and that was Ruri's final decision-slash-command.

Riel muttered darkly under her breath, "I'm seriously beginning to wonder who is Master and Pet now..."

At that, she glanced to the nightstand beside her bed. The time on the digital clock was displayed in bright neon red.

6:38AM

Almost automatically, she closed her eyes again and buried her face into her pillow, groaning aloud.

The pup tilting her head innocently to one side in question went unnoticed by her master.

If it had been already eleven nearing to noon, Riel would have understood her pup's displeasure with her—but to wake her at six? Seriously?

And did she mention that from now, it won't be for another _twelve hours_ before they reach their stop?

Somewhat peeved, Riel threw a defiant scowl over to Ruri before pulling the covers back over her head—much to the pup's chagrin and the incessant barking began again.

"Ruri, be quiet. Wake me before nine again, you're going back into your cage in the cargo compartment."

The pup stopped, whimpering for a moment before curling into a ball at her master's feet.

It wasn't until another hour later that Riel finally decided to get up of her own accord, having been unable to go back to sleep. Her mind replayed her dream over and over like a broken record—she couldn't fathom a logical reason for dreaming up something that happened so long ago.

Just a few years ago, she had been forced to leave—unwillingly transferred to another branch of the Hunters Association overseas before she could salvage the damage from that _incident_... and it was only recently (two months and a half to be exact) that she was transferred back to the main HQ.

"Its been six years since..." She muttered quietly to herself, bright amber eyes darting to the window, once again watching the sceneries outside brightening evenly with the rising sun behind snow-covered mountains.

There was a sense of foreboding in her gut now.

Running a hand through the messy tresses of her sanguine hair, she groaned again.

_So much for sleeping in._

* * *

"This cannot go on."

Shoulders hunched, and her head hanging in between, Yuuki could do nothing but sigh at the exchange before her.

Open palms slammed onto the hardwood desk harshly. "Our duties should not include acting like hired bodyguards who have to fend off ardent fans, Chairman!"

"Oh, I know it's been tough on you two every single evening but you should know I appreciate the hard work!"

...The brunette had to wonder just many times her foster father and brother had to reenact this argument. Heck, she could even call it part of their daily routine now—a rushed breakfast, school, detention, dinner with the Chairman, councilor duty, report to the Chairman, argument between father and son, patrolling, report to the Chairman again, few hours of sleep, and all of _that_ happens again the next day.

"If that's the case, then you should be getting more student councilors! That girl over there isn't much help!"

_What!_

"Hey! Just who's the lazy punk whose always late for our duties!" Yuuki huffed indignantly at Zero's blatant insulting words. That was a low blow. How could he even drag her into the argument when his performance as a councilor was no better than her?

Then it struck her. Zero could scare off a horde of fanboys and girls with just a glare, whereas Yuuki herself...

Alright, so maybe he does get the job done better than her, but there was still the issue of his punctuality. Yuuki could practically count on one hand the exact number of times that Zero actually managed to be on time for their duties. Yes, if Kiriyuu Zero had any flaws, it would definitely be his punctuality—the brunette conveniently concluded her quiet debate to herself amidst the still ongoing one-sided argument. Watching the heated commotion, she also figured it was about time the Chairman would say something to make Zero snap and break something... _literally_.

"It doesn't pain me at all to give my precious daughter and beloved son this great task."

_SNAP!_

**_SMASH!_**

Ah. There goes the Chairman's desk. Splintered and completely punched through from the surface courtesy of Zero's white-knuckled fist.

Yuuki made note to remind the Chairman he would have get his desk fixed later, since the current look on her dear father's face didn't seem the least bit concerned about the pitiful state of his unfortunate desk. Apparently, the Chairman was more concerned at the fact that Zero was denying that their familial relationship.

"Oi, Yuuki. You're the Chairman's daughter, don't you have anything to say about this?"

She looked up.

_Now_ he's asking for her opinion?

Yuuki took a brief second to consider, and smiled shyly. "Mm... Actually, I think we're handling both the Night and Day Class rather well... And I'm happy to help out with things."

Her fellow silver-haired councilor shot her a blank look.

"OHH! What a good child you are, Yuuki! Your Papa is overjoyed!"

The Chairman exclaimed with dramatic tears streaming from his eyes, feeling touched by his precious daughter's words. He then proceeded to climb onto his broken desk in happiness, giving another one of his long speeches that would normally last for an hour if no one bothers to intervene (which is usually, _never_).

"I'm gonna go patrol the campus. Yuuki, you deal with him." Zero plugged his ears, hightailing out of the office without another word. The brunette frowned, a deadpan look on her face as the door slammed shut.

Yeah, sure. Go off to enjoy his solitude and leave her to listen to her Papa's grandmother stories. What joy.

She rolled her eyes with a small pout.

"Well, I do understand what Zerorin's trying to say... Which is why I have been thinking that having another councilor around would help lighten the weight of your duties."

"Eh?"

Surprised, Yuuki leant in closer to the Chairman—her hands pressing on the conspicuous huge crack on the desk, causing it to splinter further from under her weight. "Another councilor? From the Day Class? Do you have someone in mind already, Chairma—Papa?"

"No, not from the Day Class." The Chairman replied, settling back down onto his chair whilst dabbing away at the corner of his eyes with a small handkerchief. When it didn't seem like he was going to say anything further, Yuuki pressed for more details. However, her Papa remained tight-lipped and merely smiled. "You'll see soon enough!"

The brunette stuck her lower lip out in another pout. She wanted to know more!

Chuckling at his daughter's sulking, the Chairman urged her gently. "Yuuki, its getting quite late now..."

Yuuki's auburn eyes glanced at the hanging clock in realization, and she hurried to the window—she wasn't about to be late for patrolling and let Zero have another thing to complain about later (it was bad enough that he'd always mention that she was hardly competent when it came to dealing with the fans from the Day Class).

"Do your best, Yuuki!" The Chairman called out.

She turned back around with one foot on the ledge of the open window. "Everything will be alright, Papa! You can count on us councilors!" With a grin, she leapt out of the window. "I'll be off now!"

The Chairman sniffled, waving his handkerchief to send her off before dabbing away at his tearful eyes again. He smiled goofily to himself. "Ahh, my darling little daughter... I've really raised her well... I'm so proud of her..._"_

_Cough!_

"Chairman, could I ask that you drop that daughter-complex and quit smiling creepily to yourself? You're going to give me nightmares, no doubt."

He spun around with an incredulous look, sputtering incoherently at the nonchalant burgundy-haired woman before him now. She raised a delicate brow, unamused by the Chairman's pathetic attempt to protest against her comment.

Eventually, the Chairman just opted to pout at her from his seat. "You're as mean as ever, Mari-chan..."

Marian—the school nurse—crossed her arms, rolling her eyes at the Chairman's childish behavior. She often had to remind herself why she had stuck with this eccentric man for so long (its been four years now). Granted, she would have quit this job on the first day if it hadn't been for the fact that the only other place she could return to was the Hunters Association.

While others may find the Chairman's antics hilarious, not everyone appreciates having a dramatic employer with a complex bordering on obsession with his children, and Marian was certain she was one of them—especially when she was one of the few who knew of his actual age.

She blew away several stray strands of caramel hair obscuring her view. "Another councilor, huh? You seem rather eager to take advantage of the plight that the Association is putting you in."

The Chairman blinked his hazel eyes at the sudden change in topic. He soon broke out into a small smile nevertheless, gesturing to the armchair in front of his desk—to which Marian quickly took a seat on.

"I'm surprised you didn't question their intentions, much less voice a single complain about it to them."

Shaking his head, the Chairman's smile turned sheepish. Although he couldn't agree more with her thoughts, there was still one problem preventing him from voicing his agreement. "Mari, you know that I am in no position to say 'no' to them."

"_Kaien_," Marian deadpanned with the firm tone that she only used when she meant business (coupled with her using his first name, he knew it'd be wiser not to test her patience). "It's been nearly three years since the Night Class was established, and nothing particularly bad has ever happened. Now they want to send someone in under the claims of a long-term inspection?"

She continued on, the sharp look in her eyes warning the Chairman not to interrupt her. "Don't you recall how _huge_ of a fuss the association made when you first proposed the idea of starting the Night Class? You have had so much trouble trying to convince them, I still find it hard to believe that they gave in so willingly at the end of it."

"What are you going to do if all of this is just a farce they cooked up to foul up your efforts so far?"

The Chairman's smile had disappeared, the corners of his lips tugged down in a solemn frown. "They're not that careless, and I'm certain they're aware that I'd be cautious too." His hazel eyes diverted to the open window where Yuuki had left previously. "I won't let them do as they please."

Narrowing her gray eyes, Marian leant back on the armchair. "They're certainly not a bunch of fools, Kaien." There was no denying her being skeptical. She couldn't trust the association—not anymore. "And there is no telling if their intentions are as simple as they are obviously planning something... but who is to say they won't target your achilles heel, your children—the boy, especially?"

"Now, now." The Chairman chided lightly, dismissing the obvious twitch of an eye from Marian. Apparently his sudden mood changes was still something the school nurse wasn't accustomed to despite the years she had spent working under his employment.

Watching with bemused eyes, Marian could have sworn she saw flowers bloom in the background as the Chairman twirled (yes, he _twirled_) over to refill his forgotten teacup. She kept quiet though, knowing that the Chairman would pout and whine if she did otherwise. "You've watched Kiriyuu-kun grow too, Mari. Have faith in him."

"I know he's a good kid, but don't forget—he's also one of many who had disagreed with your decision to bring in the Night Class to the academy."

Actually, that was an understatement. The boy had hated Vampires enough to lock himself up in his room whenever the topic of attending high school was brought up, and it was a only a year later that he was persuaded by Yuuki to attend begrudgingly.

Marian raised both of her hands in a defensive stance as the Chairman looked at her with an incredulous look, his eyes wide as plates if possible—most probably from thinking the very thought of suspecting his son a blasphemy. "...Alright, alright, I get it. I'll put some faith in that son of yours."

Checking her wristwatch, she signaled the end of their conversation. "We'll talk another time, I'm gonna turn in for the night." Straightening from her seat, Marian headed for the door, her hands stuffed in the pockets of her white coat and the hems trailing behind her.

She paused briefly at the door, throwing a glance over her shoulder. "Good Night, Kaien."

"Sweet dreams, Mari-chan!" The Chairman smiled and waved. He then sat back down in his chair, frowning as soon as the door clicked shut.

_So I wasn't the only one thinking too much into things..._

He took a sip of his red tea and stared at the rippling liquid.

"Oh dear... the tea's gone cold."

* * *

Riel could feel her blood running cold.

"Riel-kun, is there a problem with what I have assigned you?"

She could feel her entire body shaking where she stood.

"Well?"

The Director quietly tapped the tip of his frilled fan on the desk, eyeing her with a pointed look—daring her to voice a complain about her latest assignment.

"...No."

She desperately maintained her composure, barely swallowing the lump in her throat as she answered. Her lips were pursed together in a tight line, and her amber eyes stared hard at the velvet flooring, awaiting her dismissal.

"Good. You're dismissed then."

Closing the doors to the Director's office softly, Riel rested her pounding forehead against the cool oakwood. She felt as though she were coming down with a fever, but she knew better. She shuddered and held herself.

_What an idiot I am._ She cursed.

Why hadn't she seen _this_ coming?

She cursed again, her knuckles going white as she fisted her hands tighter whilst listening to the pounding of her heart. The minutes passed, and Riel slowly found herself calming down, strangely comforted by the pain of her nails digging into her palms. She finally released the long breath she had been holding onto for dear life before, straightening from her slouching position previously.

The next few seconds that occurred, suddenly became a blur.

Her mind could only comprehend that she had been tackled to the ground in a tangled heap by a mop of chestnut hair, the wind knocked out of her as she coughed. Feeling heavy but slender arms snake around her shoulders and tighten, Riel cringed slightly when a soft cheek nuzzled her own. It took her another moment to realize the cheery voice chirping happily at her return.

"Welcome back, El-chan!"

Blinking twice in surprise, her words were caught in her throat. Albeit she would have just shook her head while chuckling at the situation she was in, Riel (not feeling quite like herself at the moment) merely managed a smile and patted the overly affectionate man's back in a friendly manner.

"I'm back, Mako."

She closed her eyes, burying her face into the thick fabric that was Makoto's coal-black winter coat. The strong scent of blood and gunpowder flooded her nostrils, overpowering his usual scent of honey spices. "Did you just come back from an assignment?"

"I rushed over the moment I heard from the administrative department that you had returned!"

Makoto grinned, his death grip on Riel tightening as he continued to hug her. She squirmed in his arms, feeling a bead of sweat forming. She chuckled awkwardly. "Um... Mako..."

The man only hummed in question. The bead of sweat grew.

"Mako... you can let—"

"Quit smothering her already."

A rough voice spoke, pulling Makoto from Riel's straddled lap. She heaved a sigh and got off the ground, grateful for the save. Makoto, however, wasn't happy that he was interrupted—if the half-pout and half-glare he had been sporting was not enough of an obvious indication. The seemingly intimidating man (mostly because he had a deep scar running from his cheek to his chin) was hardly fazed as he held his partner by the collar.

Riel felt the corner of her lips tug upwards in amusement at the sight—she thought it better not to laugh now lest she wants the Director to come out to see what the rowdy commotion was about, they were just outside his office after all.

She nodded, greeting the newcomer with another smile. "Jin."

The older man cocked his head curtly at her, setting Makoto down to ruffle at her sanguine locks. "Yo, you look like hell. What happened?"

"Jin, practice some tact will you?" Makoto elbowed Jinmu in the ribs, grumbling under his breath about his partner's bluntness.

"Its fine, Mako." Riel let out a small laugh, grinning widely. "And I'm alright now, Jin. Don't worry so much, you have enough wrinkles as it is already."

Jinmu narrowed his eyes comically, jabbing a thumb in the general direction of his burgundy-haired partner and deadpanned. "Can you blame me when this guy can't even take care of himself? He can't even file in his paperwork correctly!"

"What! That's going too far, Jin!" Makoto retaliated, his cheeks flushed pink and arms flailing wildly in outrage. "Its not like you don't have your moments too! Like yesterday when you nearly—_mmph!_"

Riel couldn't help but snicker when Jinmu slapped a coarse hand over Makoto's blabbing mouth. The younger male struggled fruitlessly (he could have just used his teeth, but he honestly rather not being biting the older man's hand).

Jinmu then cleared his throat, changing the topic as the trio unanimously agreed to head out to the town's local eatery for dinner. "By the way, where's that frisky little critter of yours?"

"I left Ruri back at my apartment." She chuckled sheepishly, a hand to her head. "Wouldn't want an encore of the fiasco that happened when I last brought her here now, would we?"

Riel dreaded to recall the incident from her last visit with Ruri to the HQ's Infirmary that left the place in chaos and half of the staff there traumatized. The clueless red-haired hunter hadn't been smart enough to think of enlightening her little pet about the harmlessness of vaccination shots... and it resulted in the rampage of an overprotective pup who thought her master (whom she knew wasn't feeling ill at all) was going be infected with some disease at the sight of an intimidating needle looking to pierce through soft, delicate skin.

She sighed, although the staff at the Infirmary said it was all good, Riel was aware that no amount of apologies and compensation could make up for the shocking trauma her precious pet had caused them. Which was why she opted to never again let Ruri into the HQ again unless it was _absolutely_necessary, and made it a point to send two baskets of fresh fruits to the Infirmary once every month.

"I heard you got chewed out by the Director pretty badly after what happened."

A shrug. "Ruri's my responsibility after all, its not surprising I'd be the one reprimanded for the her actions." There was a brief pause. "And though that was about a month ago, I get the feeling the Director is still angry about it."

Makoto gave a light-hearted laugh, flinging his arms over Riel's shoulders. "Well, don't let it get to you, El-chan! The Director will get over it soon enough!"

Riel raised an eyebrow in question at the grinning man hanging over her shoulders, then decided to turn her amber eyes onto his partner for a comment or two. Jinmu merely offered her a shrug before shooting a disapproving look to Makoto, who conveniently chose to ignore along with Riel's obvious attempts free herself from his iron hold.

"Anyway, how long will you be staying until the next job?"

She paused, looking up into curious gray eyes before looking away with an unfathomable expression—she had not wanted to remember what she had been tasked with from the Director just moments ago. Feeling a pair of concerned eyes on her, Riel closed her eyes—the sick feeling in her gut was returning, and her chest tightened. _No, no, don't. Calm down. Calm down. Just calm down. Breath. Yes, just breath, Riel. _She chanted quietly in her head, resisting the urge to claw at the pounding pain in her chest.

"El-chan?"

Mustering up her strength, Riel looked up with a forced smile. "...I can't stay, Mako. I have to be on my way by tomorrow morning." She gently remove Makoto's arms from her shoulders, putting some distance between them and gave an apologetic smile to the duo. "I'm sorry, but I think I'll pass on dinner after all. I'll see you two again soon, alright?"

Not waiting for an answer, she gave a small wave before striding off briskly, disappearing around the corner.

Jinmu heaved a heavy sigh, placing a hand upon Makoto's head like a father would. "I heard from few of the staff back at HQ. It seems like the Director has given the Cross Academy assignment to her."

Makoto went wide-eyed at Jinmu's words. "You're joking."

"Do I look like the sort who'd crack such a tasteless joke?"

"Has the Director gone mad then?" Jinmu eyed Makoto with another disapproving look, but the younger male could hardly bring himself to care about how he addressed the head of the Hunters Association—he could feel his blood bubbling in growing anger for Riel. "You and I know just _who_ is at Cross Academy and everyone here also knows how bad his relationship with El-chan had become before her transfer! Sending her there is no different from adding fuel to the fire!"

"_Makoto_." Jinmu rapped his knuckles against his partner's head, rebuking the younger man. "Our duties as Vampire Hunters are first priority, everything else comes second... and whether one Hunter is able to getting along with another fellow Hunter... The Director could care less for that sort of thing." Jinmu was thrown a spiteful look, albeit it was hardly intimidating courtesy of the slight hint of tears gathering at the corners of Makoto's eyes as he held his head tightly in silent pain.

"Besides that, he is the Association's Director. The Director's orders are _absolute_, and this holds especially true for Riel."

The burgundy-haired man then stormed off, grumbling his displeasures about the Director under his breath. Jinmu could only shake his head in disapproval again, but opted to let his partner vent his frustrations—there was nothing else they could have done for Riel other than being concerned and feeling indignant for her after all.

A string of profanities left Makoto's mouth again as he continued his grumbling. "I swear... That girly old man is seriously asking for a beating..."

It didn't seem like his grumbling, cursing and swearing at the Director was going to stop any time soon.

Jinmu heaved another sigh.

* * *

**_BEEP!_**

The Chairman nearly dropped the teapot his hand in surprise at the soft sound, spilling a small amount of piping hot tea over the expensive carpet floor of his office. Holding tightly onto her teacup, Marian's quick reflexes allowed her to lift both her feet swiftly onto the couch to avoid the scalding liquid. She stayed frozen in that odd position, eyes blinking as she registered the blinking red light of the fax machine.

Her gray eyes shot to the Chairman, who had yet to move since he spilled some of his tea. "Chairman?"

"O-Oh! Yes, yes! I'll get that!"

...That seemed to snap him out of his stupor.

He quickly set the teapot onto the coffee table and flew towards the black machine churning out printed papers. Marian dropped three cubes of sugar into her tea before sipping slowly, raising an eyebrow when she noticed the Chairman's oddly still form. She stood and approached him with her teacup still in hand, peering over his shoulders at the papers he held in his hands—they were admission papers for enrollment. Her eyes widened as she read the information printed on them, the firm grip she had on her teacup slackened in shock.

**_SMASH!_**

The porcelain teacup fell to the floor in sharp pieces, but neither had paid it any attention. Marian sneaked a glance at the Chairman, who furrowed his eyebrows in concern.

"Kaien..."

Her words were not heard, the Chairman's full attention focused on the name printed on those pages. His hazel eyes read the name repeatedly, somehow hoping that he had read it wrongly—that it wasn't _her _the Association was assigning.

**Cross Academy Enrollment Form**

**Academic Session:**

_First Year_

**Name of Candidate:**

_Ookami Riel_

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Well, I'm not sure if any of my previous readers or anyone for that matter is still following this story of mine (didn't bother to check) but never mind.

It was for the reason that I started this story and didn't like where it was going with my horrendous writing, along with the lack of plot development from three years ago, that I decided to rewrite it. So I will rewrite this story as brilliantly as I can and finally finish it the way I want it to end.

Soooo... yeah, I had been pretty busy with college and stuff (no surprise there, I mean, who doesn't get busy with school and their private lives?) but I managed to get around that somehow, and fixed up my prologue and made it into the first chapter of DFP (:

Anyways... Questions? Comments? Feel free to review or PM me, I won't bite... _probably_.

Ciaos ;)

~Kuro-Chama


	2. Opening Interlude

Warnings: OCs, and Angst (somewhat).

* * *

**Author's Note:**

I'm really slow with updates. I know. It took me forever to climb over my writer's block and get this out because I am just not that crazy little girl who can sit at her table and write for ten hours straight. I'm not that little girl anymore—in fact, I'm not even a little girl anymore.

I'm twenty now. TWENTY. Like, WOW. To think that I had been sixteen when I started this story and it took me four years to get back into gear… meh.

…Well, anyway. Sorry if it seems kind of shorter than before. Enjoy.

* * *

Vampire Knight © Matsuri Hino

Fan-Fiction Plot and Original Characters © Kuro Nightroad/ Me

**Deceptions of a Fallen Pride**

**A Vampire Knight Fan-Fiction**

**Chapter Two:**

**"Opening Interlude"**

* * *

Yuuki found herself hardly able to concentrate.

While her lack of attention to the lecture was nothing out of the ordinary for her, the brunette knew well enough that she would usually be fast asleep during her morning classes. However, her auburn eyes at that moment were wide open and glued to the blackboard at the front—sleep being the last thing on her mind at the moment.

She found herself sighing, lowering her gaze from the blackboard and shifting her line of sight towards the back of the class—where her fellow councilor was comfortably sleeping their morning classes away without a care in the world.

The brunette pouted, feeling indignant and almost envious of how Zero could be so nonchalant, continuing to sleep even as their furious mathematics teacher caught him amidst the lesson. The middle-aged man looked as if he were about to burst a blood vessel as he finally snapped (along with the fine piece of chalk he had in his hand as well), yelling for the silver-haired councilor to wake up and pay attention to the lecture.

He didn't stir.

There wasn't even the tiniest of twitches to indicate that he may have heard the hollering red-faced man, though Yuuki's better understanding of Zero told her that he had indeed heard the yelling but did not think twice about ignoring the older man.

She ducked low, her chin nearly touching the pages of her textbook as she held her head in her hands unconsciously. At that point, there was only one thought running through her mind.

_Uh oh._

And so, that was how a drowsy and impassive Zero was dragged by the collar to the Chairman's Office allowing the rest of the class to be left to their own devices.

The noisy chattering of her classmates soon filled the room, most of them packing their textbooks and notebooks away, getting ready to bolt for the cafeteria once the bell rang.

Yuuki, however, _surprisingly_ did not feel the need to rush. Her auburn eyes fell onto the band-aid she had stuck to her palm the night before she slept, a grim frown on her childish features. Her mind wandered back to the vivid events that had transpired the night before when she had caught two girls from the Day Class sneaking around the campus during her patrol.

_The air grew considerably colder, her grip tightened around the cool metal of Artemis. The brunette was ready to strike if the need arose. She swallowed hard, forcing away the lump forming in her throat. Her auburn eyes watched the blond vampire before her with caution._

_He raised his head, savoring the air._

_"Ahh… What a lovely fragrance…" Cerulean eyes leered seductively. "Yes… Your blood has a delightful scent…" _

_Her hands trembled._

_Their clammy grip was beginning to slip their hold on her weapon._

_She ignored the excited squeals of the two Day Class girls behind her, mustering up a glare. "Aidou-senpai, if you dare lay a finger on these girls—! _

_Her words of warning fell short as she flinched._

_It took almost every last bit of her strength to not lash out at the blond vampire—his gentle and teasing hand that touched her own was icy cold._

_"I'm afraid you're mistaken…"_

_She shivered as he lifted her hand._

_"The blood that smells so heavenly…"_

_A stinging sensation struck her, and the brunette could feel her panic rising._

_"…is _yours_, Yuuki."_

_The open wound that went unnoticed before was now bleeding, a thin trail of blood oozing from her palm dotting the fabric of her inner white dress-shirt crimson._

_She struggled fruitlessly, trying to pull her arm back to no avail, and the solid grip the blond vampire had on her Artemis proved her last resort to defend herself futile as well._

_With a smooth and elegant demeanor, Aidou bowed like a gentleman about to place a chaste kiss upon a lady's hand. As though in a trance, he breathed deeply his face inches from her bleeding palm._

_"Ahh, it really is…"_

_Yuuki felt a sudden rush of fear, frozen as the blond vampire raised his head with a chilling smile—his once cerulean eyes now crimson and his elongated fangs gleamed ominously under the moonlight._

_"…very intoxicating…"_

_His sharp fangs slowly pierced her soft skin, drawing out blood._

_"Extremely…"_

_At the frightening sight, the pair from the Day Class let out an ear-splitting scream before fainting from the shock, but it did nothing to rouse the brunette whose auburn eyes remain wide with fear._

_"I thirst for more…"_

_She stood still as a statue, staring blankly as the blond vampire continued to lick and nibble on her palm, eventually drawing her into an embrace._

_"May I… drink from your neck?"_

_Cerulean eyes gazed into auburn ones, dazed from the wonderful treat, and a pair of bloodied fangs protruded from between his smiling lips… A sight that was so very similar to her earliest memory dated ten years ago…_

…_She screamed._

Now that the brunette thought of it, there was still a small part of her that couldn't believe she had yet to grow out of her childhood trauma.

It had already been _ten years_ since.

_Ten years_ to grow out of her fear of those intimidating fangs looking to draw blood.

Yet, in spite of those _ten long years_, she still screamed in fear upon setting her eyes on the canines that seemed to glow silver and crimson in the night.

Yuuki could still remember clearly the look of surprise on Aidou's face as he quickly released his hold on her and backed away, just as Zero appeared on the scene (most likely having heard the echoing screams of the pair from the Day Class followed by her own ear-splitting scream after) with his gun drawn threatening to shoot the blond vampire.

And she was certain that the silver-haired male would have pulled the trigger had it not been for the interference of her heart-throb, Kuran Kaname.

_Oh…_ She almost swooned aloud, unable to forget how she had positively watched her handsome crush in a daze with love struck eyes as he stepped out of the shades then—the displeased look on his face failing to mar, but accentuate his unbelievably charming and perfect form further under the moonlight instead. And her admiration for Kaname only continued to grow, having watched the way he had effortlessly mediated their situation, effectively placating Zero's trigger-happy temperament along the way.

_Yes, Kaname-senpai is different from other vampires… I knew that already, but I pushed him away all the same…_

The handsome brunet had been reaching out to her with an outstretched hand in concern for her wellbeing after the ordeal with Aidou, only to have her flinch away from his touch with her auburn eyes wide and cautious.

It was then Yuuki could have sworn the brief look of hurt in those breathtaking wine-red eyes before they had closed in a gentle smile as Kaname took a step back, mindful of the space between the both of them… In which, he then apologized in a sultry voice for giving her another frightening memory and quietly nodded his head after, staying true to his word as he excused himself to escort the two blond vampire cousins to the Chairman's office.

_Uurrghhhh… What should I do…? Kaname-senpai might think I hate him now…_

The brunette inwardly groaned, her head hung dejectedly in between her fisted hands as her guilty conscience ate away at her.

_Maybe I should just apologize and explain myself… yeah, I should do just that._

Resolute as she came to a decision, Yuuki looked to the ceiling and pumped her fist slightly.

_I'll apologize to Kaname-senpai when I see him later!_

Concluding her thoughts at last, Yuuki finally laid her head flat against the desk and sighed heavily as the tension in her bones slowly dissipated. She yawned, her previously forgotten fatigue now returning to hit her twice as hard. And she would've given in, laying her head down for a quick nap if Sayori had not spoken to her, forcing her to push the tempting idea away.

"It must be tough on you and Zero… Staying up every night and sleeping in the afternoon…"

Being too tired to lift her head from her textbook, Yuuki shifted her position slightly, just so she could comfortably turn her head and her sleep-deprived pair of auburn eyes on her best friend.

"…Just like a Vampire."

_Urk!_

Yuuki couldn't help but jump at the last comment, earning a raised eyebrow from the light brunette seated beside her. She forced a sheepish laugh. "Y-Yori… Do you believe in vampires…?"

Though bemused, Sayori's expression remained neutral. "Of course not, they're not real. I was just teasing you before."

_Teasing…_ The brunette felt a bead of sweat forming.

Sayori's sudden reference to vampires as a joke was hardly convincing with her trademark poker face and deadpan voice—coupled with the fact that they're actually living on the same compound as them real vampires from the Night Class… _Uh oh…_ Yuuki couldn't help the pleasant shade of red blooming on her cheeks as the image of a certain handsome brunet with wine-red eyes and a gentle smile resurfaced within her mind. _Oh no, no!_ Now her heart is racing like crazy! She squeezed her eyes shut, willing her erratic heart to calm down.

"Thinking about your Kuran-senpai again?"

_UWAH! H-how did she know!?_

The petite brunette turned her bewildered eyes on her best friend, gaping like a goldfish and her face red as a ripe tomato during a harvest. Sayori gave a small giggle, a mischievous glint in her clear honey-brown eyes. She was not about to tell Yuuki that she knew the brunette only has three things running through her mind everyday—-Physical Ed. Class, Kiriyuu Zero, and Kuran Kaname.

Physical Ed. Class—'cause in short, Yuuki was no less a jock by nature.

Kiriyuu Zero—because the silver-haired male would always do or say something to make the brunette angry or worry to no end.

Kuran Kaname—well, the reason was much too obvious. Even the other girls in the Day Class could tell from how Yuuki looks at the tall and handsome brunet Dormitory Leader of the Night Class…

And judging from the flushed and dazed look on her best friend's face, it was easy for Sayori to tell just who Yuuki was thinking about at the moment—as much as she did not want or care to actually know. She had to admit that she was not too fond of Kuran Kaname in the first place. One reason being that the air around the brunet seemed much too intimidating for someone who has the basic courtesy to sport a pleasant smile for their fans from the Day Class everyday without fail.

It was the same for the rest of the Night Class students.

Most of them were friendly enough (though a certain Idol-senpai was too friendly for her liking), but Sayori could never get over the intimidation that seemed to consume her every time she would catch a brief glimpse of them from a distance.

Granted, her unreasonable fear of them was not something she intended to tell Yuuki any time soon—unless the brunette herself brings up a related topic. Sayori knew well enough that her best friend was much too considerate of others for her own good, and felt it too unfair to the brunette who was already careful enough to not let her feelings hinder her duties as a student councilor. There was no doubt that Yuuki would feel obligated to keep her distance from Kuran Kaname even further if she were to know about her best friend's disapproval of the handsome brunet.

"Yori…?" The light brunette snapped out of her musings, returning her attention to Yuuki, who had been peering intently at the baby-pokerface of her impassive friend with both concern and curiosity. Sayori gave a small smile, shrugging lightly with a soft chuckle before putting away her books. Yuuki tilted her head, clearly baffled by Sayori's actions it had not even crossed her mind to think that the light brunette was sharing a private joke with herself regarding the former.

The school bell tolled, signaling the end of their mathematics lesson and everyone shuffled out hurriedly, eager to enjoy a well-deserved break after their usual morning classes.

Yuuki, upon remembering that today had her favorite lunch set of pork fried with ginger and soy sauce on the menu, jumped swiftly from her seat and proceeded to make a beeline for the school's cafeteria deciding to forget her troubles for the moment. The task of filling her hungry stomach now came as first priority.

As they left their classroom, the brunette beamed like a child whilst tugging on Sayori's hand who gently chided her for rushing so frantically down the hallways.

* * *

Zero had never been one to believe in superstitions.

Call him pessimistic or paranoid, but he was not about to let himself believe the nonsensical myths of how one's luck is determined with the twitching of said person's eye. And he didn't believed in horoscopes either for the record—heck, whoever came up with those myths was probably the one who wrote the twelve horoscopes and their stupid compatibility chart too… Though he also vehemently denies being a little shocked when his horoscope predicted his personality to a tee.

It wasn't that he was interested to find out in the first place, but he couldn't exactly voice an objection when Yuuki thought it her responsibility to enlighten the silver-haired male on his characteristics with those abominations of a book people called a magazine.

He grimaced. _Damn it_—his eyes were twitching again. Since morning, in fact. He raised a hand and stubbornly rubbed at the irritation refusing to go away like he wanted it to. His other eye squinted, glancing sideways to the one-sided argument unfolding before him, the balding middle-aged man none other than his math teacher fuming as he griped in growing agitation about the silver-haired male's poor conduct during his classes to the Chairman.

Kaien's thin lips curled into a sheepish, yet apologetic smile. He waved his hand in small gestures, attempting to calm his raging employee whose face only seem to redden further from his simmering anger.

Zero cocked a silver brow at the scene, wondering how much of a miracle it was that the balding man had yet to put himself into cardiac arrest with his pre-existing high blood pressure condition. He rolled his eyes at the thought—he could do without jinxing another man to an early grave, as much as his teacher was not someone he particularly cared about.

The teen tuned out the voices of both adults in the office and settled back onto the armchair he had been occupying, about to doze off at any given moment when his tired eyes landed on a curious black folder (Cross Academy's emblem printed in gold on the cover) sitting suspiciously between the velvet cushions of the two-seater couch next to him.

He paused, recalling that that was the exact spot the Chairman was sitting previously when his angry math teacher had barged into the office unceremoniously with him in tow. He nearly scoffed at the incredulity of realizing now why the Chairman had oddly flailed his arms slightly as he leapt from the couch then.

If the honey-haired man truly planned to hide whatever he is hiding… he had certainly done a very poor job at it.

Zero reached over the small distance between him and the folder on a whim, his fingers brushing over the cool cover briefly before he grasped it and pulled it out. A small slip of paper then fell from between the pages of the thin stack of papers clipped securely inside the folder. The silver-haired male grunted softly, bending over to retrieve it from the floor… and promptly froze in his tracks, realizing that it was not a mere piece of paper that dropped from the folder.

No. It was a Student ID.

However, that was not what had him frozen in shock.

Lips pulled into a grim frown, his outstretched hand balled into a tight fist in silent contemplation before uncurling to resume picking up the ID.

It was then the loud slamming of a door registered in his mind, and a small part of Zero knew without a doubt his math teacher had probably thrown a spiteful glare in his direction before storming off—albeit a little more than reluctant to let the Chairman handle the situation. "Zerori—" The silver-haired male heard his foster father cut himself off with a sudden hitch in his breath, probably from surprise at seeing the folder in the latter's hands. He didn't bother to look up though, slightly raising the ID held between his fingers instead.

"Chairman… _What is this_."

It wasn't a question, but a statement. A demand.

…And silence.

So thick, it was deafening.

Kaien tried to swallow the lump lodged in his throat, feeling suffocated as he fidgeted nervously. The honey-haired man hadn't a clue on how he was going to confirm his son's dreaded suspicions without evoking a bad reaction from the latter. He had no doubt that the moment he would part his lips to reply Zero, the boy would surely explode in a flurry of dangerously violent fireworks—sheer anger, absolute contempt and most definitely full of murderous intent all in one single package directed at him, the one who signed the papers for the enrollment of probably the one person the silver-haired male _never _wanted to see again in this lifetime.

The Chairman sighed in defeat, realizing that he was delaying the inevitable and braced himself—sucking in a breath, now ready to give an answer he knew Zero did not want to hear.

"It is as you can see."

He knew Zero would not take too kindly to the subtle reply but against his better judgement, the honey-haired man truly did not want to break the harsh news so abruptly and bluntly to his son. The poor boy has had enough to go through—at least, enough for Kaien to have thought Zero to be a _giant ball_ of angst and sorrow on more than one occasion.

"Why is _she_ coming here?"

Strong emphasis on the 'she', Kaien noted quietly and watched the telltale signs of the silver-haired male growing more impatient by the minute.

"Its an observation assignment on behalf of the Association."

"Why?" _Why her?_

Kaien could almost hear it the inaudible strain in Zero's voice. However, there was nothing he could have done about the situation.

Not even pulling every thread-thin string till it snapped and squeezing every ounce of favors he had accumulated over the years bone-dry would have given him the chance to say otherwise in the matter. It was frustrating for him to say the least, and it would occasionally cause him an inkling of regret, having thrown the opportunity to lead the Hunters Association in favor of fulfilling a promise he had made a long time ago.

"It wasn't my decision to make, Kiriyuu-kun."

That was probably the understatement of the century, but Kaien wasn't lying exactly. The part where the honey-haired man could not deny the association's request was fact. Now the other part was the complicated bit.

Requesting another individual to take the assignment was no easy feat accomplishable for anyone—however, the Chairman of Cross Academy, Kaien Cross wasn't just _anyone_. He had no trouble gaining an audience with the Director over the phone and attempt to negotiate for another person to take the job. However, nothing could have better prepared the honey-haired man for the underhanded cunningness of the Director—who simply exploited the former's weakness and promptly ended their negotiation when Kaien found himself speechless and unable to affirm or rebut the latter's assumptions for his initial objection…

_"Do you mean to say that you do not wish to see the child you first took under your wing all those years ago?"_

For most of the conversation, it was no less than trying, forcing himself to choose Zero over everything else. He wanted to see her, he truly did but Zero was his charge now. That was more than enough reason to make the boy his top priority.

_"My, and here I thought you'd appreciate that I had brought her back. How very unfortunate, but I do not have another hunter as suitable to give the assignment to."_

The honey-haired man could feel his guilt weigh heavily on his conscience, for he was definitely relieved when the Director said that there was no one else to assign the task—and that was the end of their discussion.

Hazel clashed violently with amethyst again, the sharp hostility behind those eyes almost too painful to look at. The silver-haired male turned away, his back to Kaien. "When?"

Kaien paused, undoubtedly taken aback with the tamed reaction he received and answered honestly without a second thought.

"…Probably the day after, maybe even later depending on her current location."

Another thick silence swept over the room once more, and nothing else was said—_couldn't_ be said. Sad hazel eyes watched as Zero left the office, a dreadful scowl on his face and white-knuckled hands balled into tight fists.

* * *

The three room apartment was deathly quiet, save for the sound of movement echoing from the bedroom.

_Rustle. Rustle._

_Thud. Thud._

_Rustle._

_Thud. Thud. Thud._

The noises continued on restlessly, rousing the snow-white pup from her wonderful dream of jumbo hamburgers and fries—her favorite kind of takeout as opposed to her dear master's taste for Chinese instead. Ruri was more than tempted to ignore the disturbance and go back to sleep, but the darkness that shrouded the living room and the endless scuffling ongoing in the next room helpfully declared that her master had yet to turn in despite the time already being the early hours of the morning.

The miniature canine seemingly heaved a sigh, stretching her limbs and fluffing her fur thoroughly (a girl's got to care for her image, human or not) before trotting towards the dimly lit bedroom at the end of the hallway. Cautiously, she took a small peek from the doorframe.

Standing by an open bag, sitting at the end of the bed was Riel, absentmindedly tossing clothes from her wardrobe and onto the growing pile beside her bag. On occasion, the red-haired hunter would snap out of her daze and turn around to pick out several pieces from the pile—throwing them back into her wardrobe after a minute or two of accessing them.

Ruri whimpered quietly in concern, her ears pressing flat against her head as Riel repeated the routine robotically. Something was definitely troubling her darling master. And whatever it was, Ruri needed to get the red-haired hunter's mind off the problem—_quickly_.

_**ARF!**_

"_AA-WHA—OOF!_"

_FLOMPH!_

The miniature canine blinked her large crimson eyes in surprise, not entirely able to believe the reaction she just received. Riel had never been the type to scare easily, and seeing the red-haired hunter tumble back onto her bed in fright made Ruri a little delighted with herself. She wagged her tail lazily, approaching the bed to sit daintily by the edge and patiently waited for her master to recover.

"_Oh my eff_…" Riel groaned softly, picking herself off the mess of clothes on her bed. "Just… what on earth do you think you're doing, Ruri?"

The snow-white pup innocently blinked, clearly unfazed by the pair of amber eyes glaring at her sharply in annoyance. Ruri's still wagging tail was more than enough giveaway that she didn't feel the least bit guilty about the near heart attack she had almost given her master.

"Don't play dumb, you little…"

The red-haired hunter let her voice trail off quietly, swallowing her retort with a heavy sigh. "…Forget it." She laid back down, a heavy arm over her tired eyes.

Ruri hopped onto the bed, her feather-light weight hardly able to make an indent on the soft mattress. The miniature canine climbed over the little hill of clothes towards Riel, nuzzling her head against the crook of the latter's neck before curling up in a fetal position comfortably.

Though Ruri herself might not be able understand much of humans and their logic of the world, the snow-white pup still felt the least she could do was show that she was there for her dear master—as much as she was just a ball of cuteness and fur personified.

Riel smiled softly at the affection she was receiving, turning over to wrap her little pet in a hug and placed a small kiss on the snow-white pup's head before letting her attention drift again.

The red-haired hunter had never felt more physically and emotionally burnt out, and the temptation to scream her throat hoarse remained stubborn as a mule. No matter how many times she had reconsidered it, the crazy idea lodged in her brain with its large talons was no doubt a recipe for disaster—arguably also the perfect strategy to employ if she wanted recognition as the neighborhood loony who fancies herself a banshee in the dead of the night.

…_No_. She definitely didn't want that adding onto her notoriety—Riel was well aware that her reputation in _both societies_ was bad enough already.

The light curtains hanging idly over her open windows lifted gently, letting in a gale of cold air. She shivered at the touch of coolness brushing against her face, her cheeks and nose turning a rosy shade of pink. It was about time Riel had closed her windows, she realized. The temperature in her bedroom at the moment was probably cold enough to freeze a glass of water if possible—not that she was curious enough to actually try it out anyhow.

The red-haired hunter turned, laying flat on the mess of her bed—bright amber eyes boring a hole into the ceiling as she entertained the horrible idea of ignoring the dropping temperature in her bedroom. Maybe she could catch a cold that way, and have just the excuse to take leave of absence for a day or two.

…Okay, that was an _impossibly_ stupid idea on her part.

Who on earth was she trying to kid?

Riel knew better than anyone that her physical constitution made it near impossible for her to fall prey to a common cold. She groaned aloud, rolling over and onto her side.

Her chest tightened uncomfortably once again, the pounding sledgehammer of a headache returned almost twice as painful. The red-haired hunter curled into a ball, her arms encircling herself in an attempt to calm her inner turmoil as her conscious flooded with memories she did not want to remember.

_Drip. Drip. Drip._

_One._

_Two._

_Three._

_The bodies fell one after another like it were a domino effect. Rich crimson splattered onto the freshly fallen snow akin to blooming red roses._

_And there she stood, in the center of it all—bewildered at what had just transpired._

_The worse scenario she had tried with all her might to prevent had came true, and it happened in only a matter of seconds. The situation had spiraled out and beyond her control before she could comprehend her jumbled thoughts._

_The only thing clear to her then, was her instincts screaming at her to _kill, or be killed_ herself._

Another whimper from Ruri brought the red-haired hunter back to reality. Crimson eyes gazed at her with motherly concern. With a knowing smile on her face, Riel finally stood from her bed and a gentle hand rubbing the top of the miniature canine's head in an attempt to reassure that she was alright—well, _somewhat_.

"Thanks, Ruri. I'm alright now."

The deadpan look Riel received from the white pup made her cringe with a sheepish smile. "Don't give me that look, I'll be okay. _Really_." Whether it was Ruri or herself at that point, Riel had to question which one she was trying so hard to convince. As much as she was prone to bouts of denial, it seemed to be especially worse this time around—like, a _hundred-thousand-million-trillion-gazillion times_ worse.

Maybe she was exaggerating a bit—_yes_.

Maybe she was crazier than she had thought—_kind of_.

Yet, it wasn't like the red-haired hunter wanted to be that way either.

Be it losing sleep over trying to delude herself, or trying to get herself sick on purpose—Riel _seriously _didn't want to undertake the next assignment if she could help it.

…Yeah. She was pretty desperate, for lack of a better word.

Hell, Riel had been desperate and frantic since receiving the order to transfer back to Japan—back to the main HQ. She couldn't even remember the number of times she had came close to hyperventilating, cowering in a corner of her rented apartment (whilst wrapped tightly in her thick blankets) while worrying over it.

_Ugh. Great._

Her fingers massaged the bridge of her nose, feeling another persistent headache coming on.

_**ARF!**_

The red-haired hunter tilted her head, glancing over her shoulder at the miniature canine now sitting upright in the same spot as before. Ruri barked again, her wide crimson eyes looking from her master to down at the mess that still occupied most of the latter's bed.

…

_Sigh._

A pale hand ran through sanguine locks, "…I guess I'd better finish packing up now."

She wasn't going to fall sick.

There wasn't going to be a storm to delay the morning train.

And there was definitely nothing that can make the Director—_that cunning two-faced fox-in-drag_—change his mind about her next assignment at the last minute.

Riel was going to Cross Academy. _Period_.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Nothing much happening in this chapter, just some story build-up for what's to come. I know I made Yuuki OOC what with her reaction to Aidou, but honestly, that is how I really think she should have reacted.

Seriously. The girl was five-years-old when she was nearly attacked by a vampire, she froze and screamed in terror when she saw Kaname's fangs, she ran away in fright when she saw Kaname feeding from Ruka. I highly doubt she could get over her trauma that easily when the only vampire she'd been in contact with for those ten years was Kaname—who, needless to say, is always on his best behavior in front of her most of the time.

So the Yuuki in here still hasn't gotten over her trauma yet. And I'm gonna take this chance to say that I am NOT BASHING her character—as much as I really, _really_ dislike her after she returned to being a pureblood. I'm not that mean of a person. Yuuki will get stronger in character eventually. Just not now. Not anytime soon.

Anyhow, I'm going to concentrate on rewriting 'My Dear Butler, Now and Forever' and update it first before I try to get the next chapter out.

Until next time then.

~Kuro-Chama


End file.
